1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a boat pad and/or a boat pad assembly for a boat stand and/or a boat trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, boat pads for boat stands and/or boat trailers have been constructed with a painted wood platform (approximately 12 in.×12 in. sq.) that is coated (i.e., dip painted). The painted wood surface typically does not provide sufficient protection to boat bottoms. For example, many racing sailboats have epoxy bottoms or bottoms having a wet sanded gel coat. The painted wood pads that contact the boat bottoms typically scratch and/or otherwise damage these boat bottom surfaces. Another problem with the use of wood pads is the limited life expectancy of the pads, since the nature of the material used lends itself to decay over a relatively short period of time and hence requires periodic repair and/or replacement.
In an effort to overcome these problems, boat owners, boat yards and trailer manufacturers have attempted to cover the wood pads with some type of indoor/outdoor carpeting. The problem with using carpeting is that the carpeting acts as a sponge, holding moisture against the boat hull and the wood pad itself. This typically causes the portion of the boat hull or bottom contacting the pad to blister over time, and can expedite the decay process of the wood pad. The replacement of the wood pads thus poses an expensive problem for boat owners and/or users.
Other conventional homemade solutions include gluing various foam strips to the wood pad or cutting up old doormats and gluing the doormat portions to the pads. None of these prior art methods effectively protect the boat bottoms from scratches, blemishes, rub marks and damage. Additionally, none of these prior art solutions effectively prolong the life of the pad itself, with some actually serving to reduce the life of the wood pad.